A man has been arrested for possession of an offensive weapon after armed police stopped a car in West Hampstead late last night.

Officers from the specialist firearms command swarmed the car at the junction of Mill Lane and West End Lane at 10.18pm.

The road was closed as police carried out the arrest and search.

Details of weapon(s) recovered have not been released but police said the arrested man has been taken to a police station in north London.

Resident Ian Cohen was walking his dog when the police closed the road.

He said: “The police told everyone to go inside. They were running around looking very busy. They’d blocked the road and I saw two police vans and a police car, while inside the blockade was an unmarked car, a BMW range rover police car and armed police. They wouldn’t let anyone pass through and they said there were police officers with guns there.”

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Ham&High. Click the link in the yellow box below for details.

This newspaper has been a central part of community life for many years, through good times and bad, serving as your advocate and trusted source of local information. Our industry is facing testing times, which is why I’m asking for your support. Every single contribution will help us continue to produce award-winning local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.